CHAPTER 145………………………..
Calion whispered with difficulty, hiding his face.
It wasn’t the first time I had teased him like this, yet he still got embarrassed every single time.
“…Lord Sion.”
“Hm?”
“Who exactly are you imitating…?”
“Who else? The young ladies of the White Rose faction!”
“…….”
I found it amusing that even his earlobes had turned red, so I whispered teasingly.
“Don’t you want to hear more praise about Lord Icarus…? Hm?”
“Ah, no. Please stop.”
“Hmm, what a shame.”
I smiled genuinely, feigning disappointment.
As much as I was happy when my personal affairs went well, it always made me happy to see Calion popular.
I took the arm Calion offered me for escort and asked comfortably,
“By the way, where are we going today?”
“I thought we could go get an umbrella and shoes matched for you, Lord Sion.”
“Hm? Again, for me?”
“Yes, for you, Lord Sion.”
“But… you already gave me so many last time. My birthday’s already passed.”
Even on our last outing, Calion had showered me with gifts.
‘I even got a peridot necklace and a golden-lace fan.’
Yet, Calion’s subtle stubbornness prevailed.
This time, he brought me to a famous shoe boutique.
‘Hmm. I’ve heard this place is well-known…?’
I had heard about it several times at gatherings.
It was notorious for being hard even for young ladies to make reservations.
“I wanted to show you the shoes I wanted to give you before. I even measured your size in advance.”
“Uh—uh—uh.”
“You haven’t changed your foot size, right?”
“No, not really.”
“That’s a relief.”
His escorting was smooth, like flowing water.
He even brought me to a private lounge and seated me on a sofa, leaving me fidgeting.
I felt like a wicked older sister extorting a child’s allowance.
“Um, Calion… isn’t this a bit…!”
“A bit?”
“Well… I mean… is it really reasonable spending?!”
“Haha!”
Calion burst into a bright laugh.
“I only do this because I enjoy giving it to you.”
“Really…?”
“Yes.”
It seemed our conversation was over as a clerk brought a mint-colored box.
Inside were pale pink shoes adorned with roses and white crystals.
‘He really gives me the cute ones.’
Calion knelt down and carefully helped me put on the shoes.
Then he smiled that beautiful smile adored by young ladies.
“It’s my joy to be able to give you something.”
“Hmm, if you say it like that!”
I smiled and lightly tapped my feet, now in new shoes.
‘Maybe I should happily accept this pampering!’
…Yet at that time, I didn’t realize.
Unbeknownst to me, Calion’s spending had grown excessively lavish.
‘How many pairs of shoes has he reserved now?’
I was overwhelmed by the pile of shoe and umbrella boxes.
“Lord Icarus, enough! Really, stop!”
“Huh? But—just one more—”
Calion’s eyes widened, looking terribly disappointed.
Then, Minte surprisingly chimed in.
“At this rate, Calion, you might get scolded by Lethe next time.”
“…Ahahaha. Understood, my lord.”
After sweating through the shopping trip, the three of us went to a café.
As usual, Calion personally poured tea for me.
“By the way, Lord Sion. You’ll be busy soon because of the Illiod conference. Is it okay for you to be out today?”
“Yes. I’ve been preparing for the conference for a long time.”
Soon, my father and I would host the Illiod Kingdom delegation.
This time, they would stay at the Autumn Palace.
‘It’s the perfect midpoint between them and us.’
Calion smiled faintly.
“You’ll need time to rest after everything’s done.”
“Of course! Once it’s over, we’ll have fun there just the two of us. And Ares too—”
But at that moment, my throat suddenly tightened.
I had only managed to say his name.
‘Why am I like this?’
For the past three years since Ares left, every time I said his name…
My heart would race, and my lower stomach would clench.
If I didn’t change the topic quickly, I felt my face would turn red.
‘I can’t let this happen in front of the princess’s dignity.’
Then Minte spoke up.
“By the way, the young master is still at Orpheum, right? He must be about to graduate?”
“Oh, is that so?”
“Then why not invite him to the palace once his semester ends? It’s close to Orpheum too.”
“Hm. Well…”
I deliberately acted uninterested.
In truth, I knew Ares had fulfilled all graduation requirements this summer.
‘He doesn’t even contact me properly, so I had to find out myself.’
At first, Ares had kept his promise to keep in touch regularly.
But this year, he became scarce, claiming he was busy.
‘He hasn’t even come to the capital.’
And his recklessness had recently peaked.
“Your Highness, sorry.”
When I contacted him to see if he was doing well, that was his response.
“Things have gotten a little busy… I’ll contact you next time.”
At the time, I couldn’t say anything.
In the blurry video, Ares looked truly overwhelmed.
And every time I saw him…
‘He’s grown so mature; it feels strange.’
His once-cute face had become mischievous and sharp.
His playful red eyes deepened, his jawline became sharper.
His voice was low enough to tingle my ears…
Every change captivated me, and I barely managed to regain composure.
“Ah… alright! Take care, and stay healthy.”
“Yes. I’ll see you soon, Your Highness.”
“…Alright, I got it.”
Yet… now that I think about it, it annoys me a bit.
‘He made me out to be whining at a busy student, didn’t he?’
And when we parted, he acted so sentimental, only to later excuse himself with being busy?
‘How dare he?’
Between inheriting lessons from my father, preparing the academy, and managing the souvenir business, he’s extremely busy.
‘And on top of that, I organized the social gatherings!’
I was the real swan—or rather, the black swan.
Flapping frantically in a black dress with absolute diligence.
And yet he says he’s busy?
‘Just wait until we meet, Ares Ismenios.’
I’d make him like a cake skewered with a fork.
As I was grinding the cake, Minte subtly asked me,
“Princess, would you like to leave a little early to go see the young master?”
“Hmph. Why would I?”
“Aren’t you curious how he’s doing in his semester? You’ve only ever seen him via video calls.”
“Hm, hmm.”
I feigned disinterest.
Yet now, Minte’s suggestion actually seemed like a good idea.
I hadn’t really seen Ares in his academy uniform yet.
“Hmm. Think about it?”
Clink.
At that moment, Calion gently set down his cup.
Then he looked at Minte with a smiling face.
“Sir Minte, are you going to take the position of Kore Knight Commander? I heard it’s no longer vacant.”
“Oh, you heard that rumor?”
“Yes. I heard that this time, instead of the hunting festival, it would be replaced by a swordsmanship tournament.”
“Most likely. Normally… well…”
Minte trailed off, and I sipped my tea in embarrassment.
…Normally, I should have been the one to take the position of Kore Knight Commander.
‘Just like Dad or the previous Erebos did.’
But to take that seat, one essential requirement existed:
You had to be able to wield a sword!
Even basic self-defense skills would have been enough.
Yet there was a problem.
“I didn’t realize I was so bad with a sword…”
“Princess, you’re already perfect, so it doesn’t matter if you can’t do that one thing!”
“Ugh.”
“Even His Majesty Erebos said so! You’re already a perfect princess; gaining one extra point means nothing!”
“…Minte, I love you so much…”
I whispered wistfully and sipped my tea.
Indeed, it made sense for someone excellent to lead the knights rather than someone unqualified like me.
‘I wonder who will take it?’
This summer and fall were going to be overwhelmingly busy.
